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Introduction
The problems of the current moment are frequently described as ‘civilisational’ in their importance. Some say the culture wars pose a threat to the building blocks of civilisation: family life, privacy, or civility. Others would argue the real threat to civilisation is from ‘global challenges’ like climate change or AI. In the wars in Gaza or Ukraine, some repose arguments about the ‘clash of civilisations’. But in many quarters, especially in academia, the very idea of civilisation is dismissed or treated as a dirty word. Wherever we look, there is a sense that civilisation itself is under siege from hostile forces.
But what is civilisation? How does it emerge? At the origin of the Western tradition, the distinction between civilised and barbarian formed a crucial part of our self-understanding. For the Greeks or Romans, certain customs and ways of life marked them off from their “barbarian” neighbours. Throughout the West, the idea of civilisation formed a key part of the motor of history, from the Renaissance through to the Enlightenment and beyond. But now such distinctions are viewed with suspicion – just one more piece of baggage associated with colonialism.
As ever, The Academy will bring together people from all walks of life who are committed to rethinking some of the basic building blocks of political life. Next year, we will look at what civilisation is, whether it is under threat, why it might be worth defending.
Initial reading
The Civilizing Process, Norbert Elias
Clash of Civilisations, Samuel Huntington
Inventing Western Civilization, Thomas C. Patterson
Civilisation and its Discontents, Sigmund Freud
Gibbon: Making History, Roy Porter
Suggested supplement:
The Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire (Vol. 1), Edward Gibbon
Civilisation, Kenneth Clark – watch the whole series via YouTube
